Casting a slightly despondent eye across the contenders for the vacant spots in Justin Langer's team, we can certainly see the squad is taking shape. Unfortunately the shape is pear, writes Richard Hinds.

Cricket's governing body in NSW reveals its blueprint for a new $50 million home near Silverwater prison, which will house dozens of practice pitches, a centre for excellence and the sport's administration.

South Africa clinches a 2-1 ODI series win over Australia with a 40-run win in Hobart, with an excellent Shaun Marsh ton still not enough after David Miller and Faf du Plessis led the way for the Proteas.

Although these young men have exceptional cricketing talent, they never thought they would get a second look from anyone while they played on the streets of Pakistan with only a tennis ball and no shoes. They were wrong.

Improving the performance of the Australian men's team requires a focus on the junior and club levels rather than just shifting the deckchairs in Cricket Australia's front office, writes Richard Hinds.

Notably absolved of any part in a toxic culture at the heart of Australian cricket, revealed in the damning Longstaff report, our women's team this week embark on a T20 World Cup campaign full of welcome and typically positive optimism.

This week's sacking of two senior executives, including high performance manager Pat Howard, has opened the door for one of the most under-rated yet highly-credentialed executives, writes Tracey Holmes.

With the fallout from The Ethics Centre report overshadowing the opening ODI against South Africa, there are still two significant hurdles that need to be overcome before both sides can move on, writes Tracey Holmes.

A former Test paceman, a Cricket World Cup CEO and the current interim chairman all headline the contenders to take over as Cricket Australia's chair, but don't expect Mark Taylor to be putting his hand up.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell launches a stinging attack on the leadership of Cricket Australia, accusing administrators of leaving players to "cop it in the neck" after the ball tampering scandal.

The executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association says Cricket Australia has a "moral obligation" to lift the bans of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft over the ball-tampering affair.

The independent review into the ball-tampering affair has found Cricket Australia and its administrators wanting, but why is it only Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft who have been punished, asks David Mark.

Former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin does not believe Australian cricket culture became "arrogant" and "bullying", and says it is important for everyone to finally move on from the ball-tampering scandal.

We asked you if the review into Cricket Australia — which accused the organisation of "bullying tactics" and "ostracising" — changes what you think about the bans handed down over the ball-tampering scandal. Here's what you said.

It is evident from the 145-page culture review that the board of Cricket Australia and its senior executives sit at polar opposites to those who play the game — and until that vital relationship is fixed, cricket in Australia will not heal, writes Tracey Holmes.

Australian cricket's governing body does not live up to its values and players live in a "gilded bubble" disconnected from family, friends and the community, according to an independent review commissioned in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

With customers including Shane Watson and Chris Gayle, 23-year-old Josh Gavan is the only man some of the best cricketers in the game will trust with their precious blades — and he does it all from his parents' garage.

While it's hard to defend a top order batsman who didn't reach double figures in four innings in a Test series, it's important to look deeper before blaming Shaun Marsh, and his brother Mitch, for Australia's predicament after a woeful showing against Pakistan, writes Clint Thomas.

The performances of Will Pucovski and Lloyd Pope in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield illustrates why Australian cricket cannot afford to neglect its most precious pathway, writes Richard Hinds.

Australia's Nathan Lyon takes four wickets in six deliveries against Pakistan, but the hosts fight back to post 282 and then take two cheap Aussie wickets on a compelling first day of action in the second Test.

Former Australian international cricketer John Hastings wants to finish his career playing T20 cricket, but a mysterious illness is making him cough up blood when he bowls and is set to force him into early retirement.

The Usman Khawaja-led Miracle in Dubai provided a snapshot of the troubles that have troubled touring Australian cricket teams in the past, and just maybe a glimpse of what we can expect during the Justin Langer era, writes Richard Hinds.

An informal cricket match at the Manly Life Saving Club ends in disaster, with the batsman ordered by a court to pay almost $700,000 in damages after hitting an aspiring Olympian in the eye with a "well-timed shot".

With two reviews due to be released that will guide the game's future in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, key figures in cricket are calling for the win-at-all-costs approach in the men's team to be toned down.

It's a world away from the drama of Test cricket, but for former Australian skipper Steve Smith it was a familiar venue for his first innings on home soil since his ban — playing first grade for Sutherland at Glenn McGrath Oval.

One of Australia's most prized sporting icons, the SCG's old "Robertson and Marks" cricket scoreboard, will be restored and put back in place at the ground, the ABC has learned after a question to Curious Sydney.

Selectors name five uncapped players and recall Peter Siddle for the upcoming series against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates, as Australia continues life without Steve Smith and David Warner in the Test arena.

If records were kept for standing ovations received in a match, Alastair Cook would top that list too after a fairytale day at The Oval in which he engraved his 161st and final Test with a sublime innings of 147.

The former Australian captain may be limited to playing in twenty20 competitions around the world during his exile from international cricket, but that hasn't stopped him from topping the international Test batting rankings.

Cricket Tasmania's boss says he called the Health Minister to apologise for tweets that were critical of the State Government's abortion stance, posted by Cricket Australia staffer Angela Williamson, who was later sacked from her government relations job.

The erosion of the boundaries between private and work spheres is well established. But the perils of social media "opinion creep" mean everything can be notionally viewed as work-related, writes David Rowe.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says a Tasmanian woman's sacking from Cricket Australia, allegedly over political opinions shared on social media, demonstrates the need for a national anti-corruption commission.

The lawyer representing a woman allegedly sacked over a series of tweets criticising the Tasmanian Government and abortion rights in the state says she should not have been fired for expressing an opinion, and that there's more to the case than a social media policy.

On his return to lower level cricket while on suspension from the Australian team, Bancroft nicked the ball into his throat, tearing cartilage in his trachea, while attempting a lap sweep shot and spent the night in hospital.

In front of barely 100 people, David Warner makes his return to competitive cricket on Australian soil in a quickfire innings in the Darwin Strike League as he continues on the long road to redemption following the ball-tampering saga.

Cameron Bancroft's comments before flying out to Darwin to resume his cricket career show the scandal and his forced time off has given him some perspective and a new level of self-awareness, writes Clint Thomas.

David Warner takes a brilliant diving catch in the deep but fails to fire with the bat on his professional return to cricket in Canada, following his 12-month international ban for his part in the ball-tampering scandal.

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith returns from exile after a ball tampering scandal that cost him his job, making a quickfire half century in a Twenty20 match with his new team — the Toronto Nationals.

A first ever 5-0 ODI series defeat to England has laid bare just how much work Justin Langer has to do in the next 11 months to help the team recover from the self inflicted harm of the ball-tampering scandal, writes Steve Wilson.

England breaks its own record for the highest-ever score in one-day international cricket, demolishing Australia's bowling attack before the Aussies are dismissed two runs short … of the half-way mark in their chase.

The World Cup is one of the rare occasions that transcends sporting taste. The Socceroos' opener against France clashes with the Wallabies, AFL, NRL and one-day international cricket tomorrow but if you aren't watching the action from Russia, you are not watching the big game, writes Richard Hinds.

Teen leg spinner Amelia Kerr clubs 31 fours and two sixes en route to an unbeaten 232 off 145 balls against Ireland, breaking Australian Belinda Clark's record for the highest score in a women's one-day international.

Former Cricket NSW development officer Melissa Quinn, who falsely claimed she had cancer and raised about $45,000 from her local community, is sentenced to two years in jail with a non-parole period of nine months.

'The Don' was feted for his aggressive stroke play but will now be part of Adelaide Oval's forward defence against vehicle attacks, with a bronze statue of the Australian great joining the oval's new bollards.

The pair will take part in the month-long Darwin Strike League, which features both 50-over and T20 format games and is designed to give emerging local players experience against interstate and international talent.

Man of the match Shane Watson smashed 117 off 57 balls in a stunning unbeaten century to guide Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier League title with a thumping eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Banned former Australian captain Steve Smith's return to cricket looks set to occur sooner rather than later as he is named as one of the marquee players in a Canadian T20 tournament beginning in June.

A top secret report outlining a major revamp for the Gabba, was inadvertently released to the ABC by mistake under a right to information request, before it was sent to Queensland Cabinet for approval.

AB de Villiers was unquestionably one of the most magical cricketers of his generation, but even he admitted he found "an extra bit of magic against the Aussies". Look back at some his finest moments against Australia.

Is there nothing that AB de Villiers can't do on a cricket field? The South African star takes a stunning catch on the boundary in the IPL, prompting Virat Kohli to wax lyrical about the "Spider-Man" catch.

Disgraced former cricketer David Warner is back on the pitch for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal that embroiled the Australian side, teaching power-hitting techniques to young girls in Darwin.

A Pakistani artist takes inspiration from the ball-tampering scandals that have plagued Australia's cricket team in a sculptural work showing in Sydney as part of an exhibition featuring the works of 16 Australian-based Muslim artists.

The former Test batsman and new Australian men's cricket coach says "we've all made mistakes" as he leaves the door open for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft to return to the fold after the ball-tampering scandal.

When the Vanuatu players head to the crease against Jersey on Sunday in World Cricket League Division Four, they'll be armed with bats that have been specially restored for them at a workshop in Melbourne.

Former Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto says Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have been "treated as criminals" and he would be keen to sign one of the suspended players at his English county side Surrey.

You might not have believed it from the actions of our cricketers, but the Commonwealth Games has helped prove sport is about much more than celebrating individual supremacy in a field of the most able.

Summer is going to feel a bit different. Cricket Australia has inked a new deal with Seven and Foxtel on its TV rights. Here's how the changes will impact you and what some of you thought about the change.

Generations of Australians have been raised on cricket seen through the prism of a Wide World of Sports brand seen by some as "too male, pale and stale". But just how different will Seven's coverage be?

Former Test skipper Michael Clarke says he is willing to help Cricket Australia "any way I could" following the suspensions of David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, but denies reports he sent a formal offer to return to the Test side.

After 17 years running Cricket Australia and in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal many believe James Sutherland should declare his innings. Research from a leading US business school suggests otherwise.

Australia slumps to a 492-run loss in the last Test against South Africa as its batting line-up is decimated by Vernon Philander on day five in Johannesburg. Look back at how it unfolded in our live blog.

Australian Cricketers Association President Greg Dyer outlines the unprecedented nature of the sanctions faced by Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft in the wake of the ball tampering incident, and asks that Cricket Australia reconsider the sanctions.

The Australian Cricketers' Association questions the process that led Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft to face a press conference "minutes after leaving the field" over the ball-tampering incident in South Africa.

Australia has seven wickets in hand after the penultimate day of its Test series against South Africa, with three sessions to survive for a draw. Look back at how day four of the fourth Test played out in our live blog.

Australia's top two cricketers have been sidelined for at least a year after Australian cricket was engulfed in scandal following Cameron Bancroft's attempt to tamper with the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Former cricket captains Michael Vaughan and Kim Hughes discuss the values associated with the baggy green cap in light of the recent ball-tampering scandal in the test cricket match against South Africa.

When did Australian cricket adopt a win-at-all-costs culture? After Don Bradman said playing cricket is a moral lesson, and Allan Border demanded toughness but also integrity, when did things turn toxic?

Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins' five-wicket haul — his first since the bag he took at this same Wanderers ground on debut in 2011 — is the only good news for the tourists as South Africa tightens its grip on the fourth Test.

Step back for a moment and think of the bigger picture, writes David Mark. Can any good come of an episode which has possibly ended careers, killed the love of a game and forced cricket to take a massively hard look at itself?

The Proteas' pacemen trigger an Australian batting collapse which sees the tourists finish day two a whopping 378 runs behind with four wickets in hand. Could the follow-on be enforced as a final insult? Look back at how it all unfolded.